


running when the morning comes

by gayuchiha



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M, Minor Violence, Mutual Pining, Post-War, Slow Burn, also there's a dog
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-08
Updated: 2020-04-08
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:28:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23549179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gayuchiha/pseuds/gayuchiha
Summary: “I want to know what this world has to offer, other than pain and hatred. It can’t just be you.”They paused in the large intersection before the towering gates. It was crowded, people passing them every second, but neither noticed. Naruto reached out his hand, lightly holding Sasuke’s wrist with two fingers.“Will you write to me?”Or; Sasuke and Naruto find themselves, and each other, after the war. There's also a dog.
Relationships: Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 31
Kudos: 348





	running when the morning comes

**Author's Note:**

> this was mostly just an excuse to write about sasuke getting a dog. instead of porn with plot, it's dog with plot.
> 
> minor changes to canon: while they still each lost an arm, they didn't keep those god-like powers, so no rinnegan. im also ignoring the fact that naruto and kakashi were cool with hiding the uchiha massacre and keeping konoha the same. 
> 
> there's some blood/violence during one scene. notes at the end will show where that starts and ends if you want to skip it.

“Month by month things are losing their hardness; even my body now lets the light through; my spine is soft like wax near the flame of the candle. I dream; I dream.”

- **Virginia Woolf**

For an entire month, during the trial against the Konoha elders, the air turned muggy and heavy. Witnesses were called and evidence read while citizens and ninja alike crowded in to listen. Sasuke refused to participate in the trial; Naruto stood in his stead, recounting what he learned of the Uchiha massacre while sweat bled through the papers tightly grasped in his hands. Thunder rumbled overhead each night, but the relief of rain only came the night of the judgement. The torrent flooded the streets and sent all back into their homes, drowning out the shouts of agreement and outrage. A cleansing, Naruto thought.

He found Sasuke sitting on a bench in any empty street, head tilted up slightly, hair plastered against his forehead. The moonlight mixed with the yellow glow of street lamps, glittering in the rain.

“They’ll be imprisoned for the rest of their lives,” he murmured after sitting for a moment of silence. “Kakashi and the rest of the jounin are looking at how to restructure the council, if they decide to keep one at all.”

Sasuke didn’t reply for a long moment.

“They deserve to die.” A harsh laugh. “I should have been the one to kill them.”

Naruto’s hands clenched and he glanced around to confirm the street was still empty. Sasuke had been cleared of charges, thanks to his actions during the war. That didn’t mean he was forgiven in the public eye, and there were still murmurs heard daily on how he couldn’t be trusted. Some said he should be imprisoned with the council. That the possible threat of him continuing to seek revenge against Konoha outweighed the fact that he decided to save them instead.

“Can’t it be enough?” Naruto whispered, not quite looking at his friend, who returned to blankly staring at the glistening sky. “We’re changing things. They’ve been punished. I’ll make sure it never happens again.”

“And when you’re gone? When everyone who remembers and gives a shit dies off? Can you guarantee that the structure of power in this village, in any village, can be protected against greed forever?” Sasuke smiled at him then, sharp around the mouth. He knew Naruto couldn’t answer; it wasn’t a real question. He always was talented at needling Naruto where he was most insecure, bringing him back down to reality.

Naruto yanked himself off the bench, feet skidding slightly in the rain. “I’ll find a way. I’m not dying anytime soon! I’ll figure it out.” He stalked away, shoving soaked hair out of his eyes.

“Naruto!” He stopped, glanced back over his shoulder. Sasuke still sat on the bench, not looking at him. “I’m leaving in four days. I’ve already spoken to Kakashi about it.”

“What the hell…” The rain muffled his whisper, feeling heavier and heavier each time it splattered against his shoulders. He had known. Of course he knew. He saw the way Sasuke’s fingers jittered restlessly since being back, the way he’d sometimes turn in the direction where the Uchiha compound stood before Pain’s attack. Knowing didn’t stop the ache spreading across his ribcage, or the phantom stabs of pain in what was left of his arm. He laughed quietly, half a sob.

It was right there on the tip of his tongue. He could imagine it: walking back up to Sasuke, gripping his shoulder and telling him he understood. Asking to come with him. How Sasuke’s smile would be soft and small when they met at the gate of Konoha to leave.

But Sasuke wasn’t asking him for that. A dozen faces flashed in his mind, frowning as he told them. Shikamaru would say he was shirking his duty, again. Sakura would be sad she was being left behind. All of them would sigh, and think about how he wasn’t cut out for being a hero after all. Future hokages don’t leave their villages behind. And he had made a promise to Sasuke, to change things. He had to honor that.

“Alright.” He smiled, but his teeth didn’t feel like they sat right inside his mouth, his tongue thick around the words. “I think that might be good for you. How long?”

Sasuke’s eyes bore into him, unblinking. He shrugged one shoulder.

“Alright. Okay. Get back inside, asshole, you’re going to get sick sitting in the rain.” He scuffed his foot against the cobblestone, rubbed his bandaged elbow too hard. “Don’t leave without saying goodbye this time.”

\--

Sasuke left Naruto alone for three days. He had expected… anger, definitely. Tears, maybe. For Naruto to demand to come with him. Anything but easy acquiescence. He wasn’t sure what that meant, so he decided to wait it out. The rain continued, providing the perfect environment for him to practice lancing his lightning across the raindrops. The village was unsettled by the trial, and no one wanted to get wet. He was perfectly alone.

Four days after the trial, the clouds broke. The sun shone gently, the summer air pink and warm. For the first time since that night, he heard people laughing outside when he woke. Sasuke grabbed his pack and went to him.

It didn’t require searching. Despite everything, his schedule was still more strict than Naruto’s. He landed on the ledge to Naruto’s bedroom window and could see curls of blond hair fanned out on a white pillow, the soft rise of his blankets. He tapped on the window, twice. Bleary eyes and a pinched mouth rose to greet him.

“Morning. Let’s get some ramen.” Blankets flew.

The walk to Ichiraku’s was quiet, only occasionally filled with Naruto murmuring about which toppings he’d choose. Every so often, one drifted a little closer to the other. By the time they reached the shop, their knuckles brushed with every step.

“So,” Naruto puffed his cheeks to blow on the steaming noodles, lingering on the last bite longer than normal. “Where will you be going?”

Sasuke shrugged as he placed the money for both their food on the counter with a nod to the elderly cook. Teuchi returned it with a smile. The man had always been kind; Sasuke could remember sitting on these stools many times as a child, their loud bickering tolerated and the occasional free bowl snuck to them.

“I haven’t thought too much about the destination. Out of Fire Country.”

Naruto pushed his bowl away, rose slowly off his stool as though every muscle hurt, that same tight, lopsided smile stretched across his lips. They began meandering towards the gate.

“What will you be doing?” Sasuke’s eyebrows furrowed, and Naruto laughed. “Have you planned this at all?”

“It’s not the place that matters, or exactly what I’ll be doing there. I travelled all over before, but I never actually saw anything.” He looked away. Naruto’s eyes were too bright. “I couldn’t see anyone but those I planned to kill. I want...” A deep breath, “I want to know what this world has to offer, other than pain and hatred. It can’t just be you.”

They paused in the large intersection before the towering gates. It was crowded, people passing them every second, but neither noticed. Naruto reached out his hand, lightly holding Sasuke’s wrist with two fingers.

“Will you write to me?” A whisper.

Just as Sasuke opened his mouth to respond, a loud voice calling Naruto’s name interrupted him. Naruto let go of him and took a step back.

Kiba Inuzuka strolled up to them, Akamaru and another fluffy white dog at his heels. He spared a glance at Sasuke before clapping Naruto on the shoulder with a large grin. Naruto smiled back for a split second before quickly bending over the dog, a hand reaching for its head.

“Puppy! Who’s this?” The dog shied away from him, ears tucked back. Kiba heaved a sigh, fingers massaging his temple.

“This is Miyu. She’s… I’m trying to train her.”

Naruto’s hand remained outstretched, his mouth round. He looked nearly ready to cry at the rejection. Sasuke snickered.

“Don’t take it personally.” Kiba gently took a hold of Miyu’s collar, shushing soothingly at her as he tried to get her closer to Naruto. The dog reared back. With a sigh, Sasuke grabbed Naruto’s collar instead, yanking him upright.

“You’re crowding her. Give her a second.” Kiba, Naruto, and the dog wore identical looks of surprise. It was almost amusing. Akamaru nuzzled at the other’s ears and she seemed to relax slightly.

“Huh,” Naruto rubbed at the back of his neck. “I’ve never seen any of your dogs be so shy.”

Kiba glanced down at the dog, disappointment clear on his face. Miyu glared resolutely to the side with a loud huff.

“Yeah, we don’t know what’s wrong with her. She was properly socialized as a pup, you know. But she’s scared of people, and she can’t stand even the tamest of combat training. She comes from a line of talking dogs, but she stopped speaking a few months ago.”

“Oh, like Pakkun?” Naruto’s face lit up. Kiba’s darkened in return.

“Supposed to be. She’s from one of our top lineages; ninja’s will wait years to receive one. But we can’t sell her like this, and the laws forbid us from giving her to a civilian. Mom’s worried we’re going to lose our entire investment.”

Sasuke slowly lowered to his knees as the two talked, body and face turned away from the dog. After a few leery glances his way, the dog shifted towards him, snuffling at his toes. Very slowly, he offered a small slice of salted meat from his pack. Her face was split evenly down the middle, half white, half brown. Soft brown spots speckled each ear and down her back. Despite the clear mistrust in her eyes, she gently mouthed the meat from his fingers.

He kept his fingers outstretched as she ate, and she licked at them when she was finished, cleaning off the remaining salt. Let her wet nose linger after. He lowered his gaze as he moved up her muzzle to scratch lightly at her ears. She leaned into it.

“Good girl.” He murmured.

“Oh.” The moment between them broke as Kiba finally noticed. “Wow. I didn’t know you were good with dogs, Uchiha.”

Sasuke shrugged and shared a wry glance with Miyu. Naruto whined above him, his eyes large and glimmering when Sasuke looked up at him, but he heroically held himself back from trying to pet her again. He pouted better than any dog Sasuke had seen.

“Will you let him pet you?” A soft growl. “I swear to roast him to a crisp if he hurts you.”

Naruto let out a sound of hurt but Miyu’s dark brown eyes held his, measuring him. Finally, she leaned lightly on his arm. He nodded to Naruto.

“Slowly. And kneel. Don’t hover over her.”

Miyu tolerated the blond’s soft pets for a moment before backing off with a dip of her head to Sasuke.

“Good job, little one.” Kiba patted her head. “We have to go. Mom wants her to spend more time in the market square so she gets used to crowds. I’ll see you later, Naruto.” He wrapped Miyu’s leash tighter around his wrist.

“She likes salted meat.” Sasuke called out as he walked away. Kiba’s look back was withering.

“I know that!”

Naruto chuckled next to him. “So all I needed to do was bring a dog to the Valley of the End. We could still have our arms.” Sasuke jabbed an elbow into his gut.

They stared up at the gate for a few moments. Finally, Sasuke sighed and rummaged through his pack, shoving a small scroll in Naruto’s direction. He took it with a raised eyebrow.

“It’s one of my hawk summons. She’ll be able to find me, no matter where I go, and she flies fast. She agreed to stay with you while I’m away, so you can write to me.”

Naruto adjusted his hold so the scroll rested gently in his palms, a look of wonder on his face. He carefully pocketed it, pausing before shoving something at Sasuke in return. Sasuke blinked in surprise.

The old headband was weathered from the years, the metal scuffed and the cloth obviously hand sewn over a few places it had ripped. The scratch across Konoha’s leaf symbol was still clean and deep, sharp against his thumb.

“You kept it.”

“Of course I did.” A small laugh as Naruto ruefully scratched the short hairs at the nape of his head. “It went everywhere with me, to make sure I wouldn’t forget. Not that I could.”

A long look shared between them. So many times in the past, Sasuke had felt as though he was sinking beneath a deep ocean, gasping for breath. Never more than now. His grip around the headband tightened.

“I won’t forget either.”

\--

Only a few minutes after the gates shut behind him, Naruto lingering behind to watch every inch that closed between them, Sasuke picked up on the small chakra signature trailing him. It was nearly indistinguishable from the other flickers of life dancing between the leaves of the forest around him, but it had more intent. He briefly reconsidered his peace with Konoha at the thought that Kakashi may have sent Anbu to monitor him, but the presence wasn’t human. One of the tracking dogs from his pack of summons then?

He picked up his speed leaping from branch to branch to see if it would match his pace. It did, and continued to do so for miles as he waited to see how long it’d follow him. Finally, as the sun set over the trees that had become more sparse the further he traveled, he stopped, his stomach grumbling.

“Alright, that’s enough. Come on out.” A twig broke to his right, but nothing emerged. He heaved a sigh and built a fire. Meat he had caught earlier roasted above it, the smell drifting out with each billow of smoke. Finally, a brown nose with a spotted, split muzzle peeked out of the bushes.

“You’re kidding me.” Miyu’s dark eyes glanced at him quickly as she slunk out towards the fire, sniffing towards the meat. He snatched it off the flames before she got too close, and she backed away quickly. “Careful.”

He considered her as he ripped pieces off the bones and threw her a couple. Her leash had been ripped short but she looked fine otherwise. He could still feel the quiet thrum of chakra in Konoha behind them, and knew there hadn’t been an attack to cause her to run.

“You need to go back.” She finished eating and began smelling his pack. He strode in front of her when she began to slide past the flap of his tent. Her eyes narrowed up at him. “Go back. You can’t stay with me.”

She plopped down beside the tent, refusing to look at him or budge, even enduring the times he pet her or tried to gently shove her back towards Konoha. After he gave up on moving her and went to sleep, she remained directly beside the tent’s door until he woke. Resigned, he threw some yen into a pouch that he sent off with a hawk to the Inuzuka clan. Certainly not enough to pay for a ninken of her caliber, but Kiba had lamented before about not being able to sell her, and it hadn’t truly been his choice to keep her either.

\--

Days of travel later, the dog sat across from Sasuke, the firelight gleaming off her eyes in the dark.

“Can you do any tricks?” Miyu blinked at him slowly. “Down. Shake. Roll over.”

She let out a short huff and resolutely glared to the side.

“...Sit.” A tail wag. He sighed.

“I’m not sure what you were thinking following me. I’m a ninja. It’s not the goal of my travels, but I’m probably going to fight at some point.” He leaned back on his arm, looking at the glittering constellations above them. These were his favorite nights: a full moon and no clouds to block the stars, with just enough chill to make him light a fire and wrap his cloak around him. “I know you don’t want to fight. I’m fine with that. What I do want is to make sure you’re safe when I have to. If you’re trained, that makes it easier.”

The fire crackled between them. The late summer air was full cricket chirps and the occasional firefly flitting between the sparks. Miyu sniffed up at them, her eyes tracking the flickering lights for a moment before she gently rose and padded her way next to him. In quick motions she lay down, sat back up and placed her paw against his shoulder, then rolled over.

He quirked an eyebrow and grinned. Slow, he lifted his hand and let her sniff at it before carding his fingers through the fluff behind her ears.

“That’ll do.”

\--

Naruto let his cheek thump down onto the pile of papers on the desk in front of him. Kakashi had told him nearly a year ago that he planned on having Naruto succeed him as Hokage, but not without ample study in the meantime. History, politics, the cultures of lands around them. How to make new laws, and enforce old ones. The hours of reading made his eyes heavy, more exhausted than after a training session with Lee, or even Sasuke.

He was grateful for the day when, months after he took over teaching him in the Academy, Iruka figured out part of the reason for his bad grades was his difficulty with reading. The man spent countless hours after their official lessons were done for the day teaching him. Despite her teasing, Sakura occasionally reinforced the lessons later as genin. It had gotten easier, thanks to them, but prolonged reading still never failed to give him a migraine.

Not to mention the additional paperwork that Kakashi was having him practice. Monotonous, it left him feeling numb with boredom. When he complained to Kakashi, the man had laughed ruefully behind his mask.

“You’d better get used to it. If you want to be a good Hokage, you’ll be spending about ninety percent of your time doing just this.”

He might actually die. From boredom, from feeling empty and useless, from loneliness. He spent nearly every day with someone now -- Shikamaru helping him with his paperwork, lunches with Sakura during her breaks at the hospital, training with friends -- but he was still so lonely he ached.

Shoving himself away from the paper laden desk, he paced in front of his window before shoving it open and launching himself out into the chilly night. Fall had settled in Konoha, misting the trees with golden and red leaves. The sky was perpetually grey with a light covering of clouds, and the moon barely peaked through.

The trek to Sasuke’s apartment was short. Every window and door had been locked, the bastard, but no warding jutsu laid. It only took a few tries for him to shimmy open the lock and slip into the room. Sasuke hadn’t decorated much in the year and a half he lived here. A kitchen fully stocked with cookware, but only one couch and table in the living room and nothing hanging from the walls. He wandered into the bedroom, which at least had a little more personality. Multiple books and scrolls had been left behind, and the comforter and pillows on his double bed were soft and expensive looking. The purple rope he once wore hung from the doorknob of the closet. On the nightstand, facing the bed, a picture of Team Seven.

He ran a palm over the white comforter. Such a ridiculous color for bedding. It would be covered in food stains within days if he owned it. Sasuke somehow managed to keep it spotless for over a year. He shrugged off his coat before sitting on the bed. God, it was soft.

“How did you afford this thing?” The air in the room felt close, nearly a gentle touch, and it muffled his voice. “If Kakashi gave it to you, I’m gonna kill him. Do you have any idea how long it’s been since my mattress was replaced? And I got a fucking twin.”

He fell onto his side, face buried into the pillow. It still smelled of Sasuke, like the woods and fire and mint shampoo. He’d stayed over once before, drunk silly. Sasuke had dragged him here since it was closer than Naruto’s apartment, and insisted he take the bed. But he’d been too intoxicated that night, too embarrassed and sick the next morning to take it in. Now, he couldn’t seem to help himself, tucking himself between the sheets and covering his face with the second pillow.

The cracks in his chest widened.

He pulled out Sasuke’s latest letter; he’d taken to keeping it in his pant pockets, pulling it out in moments of melancholy. Unlike his own letters, it was relatively short and concise. The contents weren’t exactly happy. The Uchiha had been traveling through Rice Country and had encountered a group of those freed during his mass release of Orochimaru’s prisons. Scarred by their experiences and wary of strangers, they’d kept away from any villages. By the time Sasuke came across them, most were sick, all malnourished, many of them still children. He’d asked for help from Konoha, and agreed to stay with them until someone arrived.

Kakashi sent a group of medics a week ago now, Sakura among their number. Naruto had begged to join them, the request flatly refused. He knew there was no real need for him to go, that he could help prepare for any willing to come back here instead. There was already so much work to be done in Konoha for those orphaned or wounded by the war. But he still had to constantly remind himself not to irrationally resent Sakura for being able to see Sasuke.

With a deep sigh, Naruto rolled onto his other side, thumbing at the letter. Guilt lined each word his friend wrote. Naruto felt it mirrored inside himself. He remembered hearing of Sasuke releasing Orochimaru’s prisoners, joy and worry mixing in his chest. At the time, he hadn’t thought of helping them either. He tried not to blame his sixteen year old self -- knew there had been others more responsible for that decision. But no matter how much he tried, shame churned in his stomach.

Eventually, he drifted to sleep, reading the last line of the letter again and again: “I miss you too, idiot. Shouldn’t we have gotten used to missing each other by now?”

\--

It was mid-December when Sasuke reached Harie, a small, seaside village with only one inn -- a wooden building that made up for its lack of size with the intricate carvings etched into its pillars and ceilings. Behind it, steam rose from what he guessed to be hot springs. A gust of hot air hit him as he opened the door and an old woman squinted up from behind a desk, her face as lined as the wood around her.

Multiple lanterns and a fireplace illuminated the room, and rich, red velvet covered every piece of furniture. The old woman’s hair was black, with strands of white coiling through the intricate braids she piled on top of her head. He looked at none of these; instead, his eyes fixed on the glittering jewels hung behind the woman. Each a different shape and dreamlike color, he’d only seen the particular honeyed shine once before.

“Either leave or come in, but close the damn door.” He dragged himself out of his daze, shutting the door quickly to leave the cold behind. Miyu tucked in close, hidden underneath his cloak as she tended to do now. Her back pressed against his knee, a comforting weight. With each slow step to the woman, it became more and more clear.

“Those jewels…”

“Ah, those. 1100 yen each. 2500 a night for a room, 300 extra for the dog.”

“You sell them?” He snapped. The woman narrowed her eyes further.

“I make them, so yes.” She jutted her chin up. “Do you want a room or not?”

“I… yes.” He dug into his pack for the money. “I’m not sure how long I’ll be staying.”

“Alright.” She thumbed through the coins. “There isn’t a discount for longer stays.”

“That’s fine. Are you from Fire Country?”

“No.” Her eyes stayed firmly down.

He knew he wasn’t wrong. Similar jewels once hung from his mother’s neck, his uncle’s ears, his father’s belt. He hadn’t seen any like them since the massacre. Not until now.

“Then how did you learn to make those?” She finished counting and placed them in the drawer in front of her, locking it closed. Finally, she met his gaze again.

“My mother taught me. What’s your name, boy?”

He occasionally used other names during his travels, but now it slipped out fast and easy: “Uchiha. Sasuke Uchiha.”

“Ah,” She sighed, long and quiet. “Enjoy your stay, Sasuke.”

“You’re an Uchiha too.”

“I’m not.” Her eyes held his, hard and unwavering.

“You wouldn’t know how to make those stones if you weren’t.”

“Watch your assumptions, child.” Her fingers drummed on the countertop for a long moment before she spoke again. “A long time ago, an Uchiha came here. She married, had a family. It was generations before I was born. My name is Amaya Mori, and my Uchiha blood is but a drop in the ocean. I’m not some long lost survivor of your clan. There’s nothing here for you other than a bed to sleep in. You’d better find it before you lose that as well.”

\--

Sasuke was seven years old, his mother and father next to him. An apricot sky outside the kitchen window, the sun lingering at the edge of the treeline. His small hands cupped a warm bowl of food. Mikoto’s fingers played with the glimmering blue gem on her necklace.

“Mom, none of the other clan jewels are as pretty as yours.”

“Thank you, baby.” Mikoto laughed, a carefree and bright sound. She pinched his cheek, before slipping the necklace off and handing to him.

“Do you want to know a secret?” She whispered, breath cold against the shell of his ear. He gripped the jewel tightly with chubby fingers and nodded.

“Your father made it for me.” Fugaku’s face, normally stoic with deep frown lines, softened when he looked at Mikoto. Somewhere, a baby began to cry.

“How?” Sasuke gasped.

Her eyes glittered playfully at her husband as she tugged on Sasuke’s curls.

“Every Uchiha learns at some point.” His father turned to him, offering a rare, tender smile. “One day, I’ll teach you. After you master fire release.”

A rush of excitement shot through him. The radio on the windowsill abruptly turned on, the sky beyond it now crimson with sunset. The infant still cried, its screams too loud to be covered by the sudden crackles and static. Mikoto gripped his chin, her face close. All he could see were her dark eyes.

“Your brother’s home.” She breathed. “Go on, get him.”

He stumbled towards the front door, but the hallway twisted as he ran, placing him before the sliding door to their spare room instead. His fingers shook against the wood. At the sound of his mother’s wail, he shoved it open, bolting inside. He slipped on the wet floor, skidding to his hands and knees.

“Mom!” The sword pierced her chest, splattering blood. She crumpled, Fugaku silent as he knelt beside her. Itachi wept above them.

“I love you, Sasuke.” Itachi murmured. His eyes were the same red as the blood that trickled from Mikoto’s mouth. He raised his sword above his father’s head.

“Please,” Sasuke sobbed. He tried to struggle to his feet, but the blood on his hands weighed him down. “Please don’t.”

“I love you.” The sword fell.

It seemed to last hours: Mikoto and Fugaku silently rising to kneel, only to be slashed down. Itachi murmuring devotions with each swing. Something cold pressed hard against his cheek, and he lurched away with a scream.

His hand clutched at soft fur. Two eyes glimmered at him in the darkness, and a wet nose nudged him again. Miyu whined softly, and he quickly released her. Sasuke pet at the spot he had grabbed, hands shaking.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered “I didn’t mean to.”

She pressed in closer, half on his chest. He couldn’t breathe right, but it wasn’t due to her weight. Her muzzle pushed lightly at his jaw, a feathery ear flicking against his forehead.

\--

Morning found him stalking back to the old woman. He slammed his hands onto the desk.

“Teach me how to make the jewels.” She laughed, harsh, in response. “I’ll pay you.”

“No.”

“What do you want then?”

“For you to finish your stay here quietly.” Amaya heaved herself out of her seat, striding for the door. “Get over it or leave.”

“I watched my father die before he could teach me.” Her hand paused on the doorknob. “They took all the bodies while I was unconscious. I don’t know what happened to my mother’s pendant, or any of the others. I’ll give you anything.”

She remained silent, then turned towards him, face hidden by shadow. “Any gem you manage to create here is mine to sell.” His fists clenched, iron on his tongue.

“It’s against clan law to sell them.”

“Good thing I’m not part of your clan, then.” Her black eyes flashed. “Do you want to learn or not?”

\--

When Sakura returned, Naruto had been promoted to jonin and was officially a Hokage assistant. He desperately wanted to see her, but by the time his work was finished, the village was quiet with sleep. Climbing the steps to his apartment -- shoulders aching, soul aching -- he found Sakura leaning against his door. One look at her red rimmed eyes and he crushed her to him. They stumbled over each other's feet through the door.

“Welcome home,” he murmured into her hair.

“I missed you,” she kissed his cheek. “I brought alcohol.”

“Oh thank god.” Taking the bags from her, he placed most of it to chill in the refrigerator while she settled at the small table in his living room. He gave her a glass and they sipped at their drinks for a long moment, silence comfortable between them.

“How was it? The mission.”

She hummed against the lip of her glass. “It was… hard. They weren’t in good shape. It took us longer to convince them to come back with us than to get them healed. And not everyone agreed, in the end. We left a lot of people behind.”

“Kakashi approved routinely sending supplies, and another team’s going out soon to help build housing. They’ll be alright.”

“Yeah,” she rubbed her eyes. “I don’t really want to talk about the mission anymore, Naruto.”

Biting at his lip, he nodded. Started picking at one of his nail beds. “How was he, though?”

“Oh, Sasuke?” A light, sweet laugh. “Distant as always. Surprisingly good with the kids.” She propped her elbow on her knee, resting her chin against it. Her face was rosy from the alcohol. “He asked after you, too.”

Naruto’s cheeks flushed. “He’d know how I was doing if he answered my letters more often.” She waved a hand.

“It’s Sasuke. You’re the only one he even bothers to write to.” She watched him intently, catching the small smile that crinkled the corners of his eyes. “I kissed him, you know.”

“What?” The cuticle he’d been picking at bled a little from how hard he dug his nail into it. “Oh.”

She took a large gulp from her glass. “Yep.”

“So you’re together now.” He grinned. “That’s great, Sakura.”

“God, no.” Her laugh was too loud, the first signs of her getting tipsy.

“But you--”

“I’m not ready for a relationship right now. Don’t think any of us are, really.” She spun her cup, swirling the dark liquid inside. “You know what the worst part was? He just sat there, not moving. Said he was sorry afterwards. Like he pitied me.”

Her green eyes narrowed at him. “And honestly? Kissing him was boring. I didn’t feel anything at all. I think I just needed to do it to know it’s not what I want anymore.”

They sat there, Sakura draining her drink with a dark look on her face, Naruto twiddling his hands. It was a new, this jittering, bubbling feeling inside him. A little too close to happiness. He didn’t have a name for it.

Finally, he reached over, pulling her against his shoulder. “I’m sorry, Sakura.”

“For what?” Her laugh was a bit too thick this time, choked off at the end. He pressed a kiss onto her pink roots.

“You loved him for a long time. It hurts to let go.”

“Like you’d know.” She shoved off his shoulder, tone playful. He stuck his tongue out at her. “How has it been here, though? I heard you were promoted to officially assisting Kakashi.”

His hand froze where it had been refilling their drinks. It took him a moment to collect the correct smile.

“It’s been great, Sakura! A real dream come true.”

“Naruto.” She yanked on his ear. “Talk to me.”

“Ow! Okay, okay stop!” This woman really didn’t know her own strength. Nearly took his ear off. “It's… it’s hard.”

His stomach twisted into knots and he had to sit on his hands to keep from anxiously tugging on his sleeves. Frustration welled up inside him.

“It wasn’t supposed to be like this. We’re doing important things, you know? Fixing the Hyuugas, aiding villages hurt by the war, raising the age requirements for the chunin exams, but I-”

The words were too bitter in his mouth. He couldn’t admit it. Sakura looked away from him, staring out his small window. She laid her hand over his.

“It’s okay, Naruto. It’s okay.”

“It’s not.” He tried to laugh, but it sounded wrong. “I’ve wanted this my whole life.”

“When I was a kid, I dreamed about marrying Sasuke. Shikamaru wanted to float away on a cloud or something.” She shrugged. “People change. We grew up.”

“I made promises. I can’t give up just because I’m bored.” It wasn’t just that, though. People treated him differently now, respected him, something he would have killed for as a child. But he couldn’t forget. The same people who cursed at him, called him a monster, asking for his autograph. The shopkeeper who once beat him for touching his wares, shaking his hand with tears in his eyes after Pain’s attack. Empty, all of it.

“You don’t have to be Hokage to keep those promises.” Sakura flicked his forehead, lightly, then cupped his cheeks. “And you’re not only worth what you can give to other people.”

\--

“Let me see.” Amaya held out her hand from where she sat. She had forced Sasuke to carry a rocking chair out to the field they practiced in, where she spent most of her time swaying, smoking her pipe, and scolding him. He glared down at the muddy brown stone before sending it flying to her with a quick twist of his wrist. Despite the projectile’s speed, she caught it easily. She glanced down at it and sighed.

“You’ve been trying for months and haven’t made a single gem.” She flipped the stone into the air with her thumb, enveloping it in fire. His sharingan flared to life, but the chakra that swirled in her chest and throat appeared the same as always. Still, when the stone landed, it sparkled gold. A little sun in the palm of her hands.

“I’m opening the same chakra pathways as you --”

She cut him off with a wave of her hand. “I don’t need to hear another of your lectures. This isn’t a ninja academy.”

“I know how to manipulate fire, Amaya.”

“Yes, you do.” She rocked back and forth, expelling large puffs of sweet smelling smoke. He walked over to her, sitting in the grass by her feet and taking the pipe from her. Hands slipped into his hair, began gently pulling it into a braid. It had grown long, the curls falling against his shoulders.

He’d stayed in this village longer than any other since starting his travels. He wasn’t sure what made it different. Perhaps it had to do with the ocean around them, the roaring tide audible all through town, stained a million colors by the sunrise on his morning walks. Or maybe it was the way Miyu roamed confidently, playing with children and given treats by everyone she passed, but still finding her way back to him each night. The small freedoms he found staying here, a quiet settling into his bones.

“You know how to make fire a weapon,” she murmured as she tied off the end of his braid. “But that’s all. You weren’t taught how to talk to the fire. How to listen to it.”

“I’ve told you before, I don’t know what that means.”

“Be quiet and pay attention then.”

Sasuke grunted and took a small drag of her pipe. It burned his lungs, making him cough, but he found the taste comforting.

“The Uchiha were different. They didn’t just have an affinity for fire, they were born from it. It blessed them, and they honored it in return. Many things are forgotten through time, but we never lost where we came from. Even my family paid our respects. You have to learn what fire truly is.”

“The product of a chemical reaction.”

She whacked the top of his head.

“Fire is hunger.” Sasuke raised an eyebrow at this. “It is the beginning of life, but also the end. It gives and takes without judgement, and must be handled with care and respect. The same fire that warms you during the winter will burn you if you get too close.”

“Right,” he twirled a piece of grass in his fingers, unsettled. He had never described himself as spiritual, preferring the concrete. Actions determined things in this world. “What does this have to do with the jewels, though?”

“If you look at a flame with only your eyes, all you’ll see is red, orange, yellow. But fire devours all it touches, taking everything into itself. Every color, every emotion, lives inside the blaze; you have to convince it to give back the one you want.”

Too many details of his life before the massacre had faded from his memory: his weekly lessons with the clan priest, the face of his aunt who always gave him candy, what his father’s voice sounded like. But some things remained, flashing through his mind so clear and bright it was as though he was being shown a picture.

He could remember the first funeral he’d ever attended. One of his great aunts, a distant relative he hardly knew. Her son wove flowers into her graying braids before placing her body on a wooden boat, palms up.

“To welcome the sun,” his mother had explained in a hushed voice. A funeral held at night or during rain signified a soul unforgiven.

The woman’s immediate family then gathered around the boat, pushing it into the lake. In turn, they each released flame from their mouths. The fires licked normally at first, before joining as one and swirling around the boat in a whirlwind of red.

“For pride.”

The flames changed as they poured from the family’s lips. One moment red, the next purple. The colors did not mix as the new fire joined the old, but danced together.

“For sorrow.”

It seemed as though the body was surrounded by miles of flames as the whole lake reflected them. The water sizzled beneath the heat, and the steam mirrored the fire once more. Then, a new color: blue, and hotter than the rest.

“For joy.”

The memory ached inside him, the familiar throb too easily turning into anger. He shoved himself off the grass, wrenching a stone from the pile he’d been practicing on. Threw it into the burning air, letting the rage scald his chest and bite his throat. The stone landed crimson in his palm, shining like honey.

“Beautiful,” Amaya spoke next to him.

“It’s not what I want,” he held it out to her. “Take it.”

She held the jewel up against the light of the sun, inspecting the color. Red reflected on her face, scarlet in her eyes and on her mouth. He looked away.

“Give the fire what you want, and ask that it be returned to you.” She pocketed the gem and returned to her chair. He stood still, holding the next stone tightly.

Sasuke thought of his mother, humming tunelessly in the early morning. Remembered the look of pride on his father’s face, thought of sweet smelling smoke and listening to the ocean at night to fall asleep. Pictured a little blond boy up on a hill making a ridiculous face that summoned an unwilling smile to his lips. That same boy chasing him, believing in him. Pledging to die with him, then refusing to let them do so as they lay bloody together.

Heat simmered low in his stomach. He gathered it into his throat, lay it on his tongue. Promised: love. I love him.

When the jewel landed warm in his hand, it was the blue of a winter storm. Lines scattered through it like lightning strikes, the same bright color as his mother’s pendant. He tilted it in the sunlight and caught flashes of green and gold. His fist closed around it.

“I’m keeping this one.”

Amaya only smiled in answer.

\--

The next letter Naruto received from Sasuke was simply coordinates. The journey from Konoha to the village of Harie normally took a week for a ninja going full speed and uninterrupted. Naruto made it there in five days.

\--

At the edge of the village Naruto felt a sharp flash of chakra which left the taste of ozone in his mouth, Sasuke greeting him and letting him know where to find him. Despite the shaking of his legs from the long journey, Naruto ran to the center of the town where the signal came from. A full moon lit the summer night, and every glittering constellation was visible. Further in, more people crowded the streets, laughing and playing games. Food stalls lined the roads, sizzling with meat and roasted vegetables. Lanterns hung from tree branches, casting the entire village in a soft orange glow.

Sasuke stood tall in the midst of it, dressed in a purple yukata, the fabric’s color so dark it was closer to black except where the light hit it. His hair was longer than Naruto had ever seen it, pulled back into a braid. Shorter strands slipped from it, the wavy bangs soft against his sharp jawline. He laughed at something an elderly woman beside him said.

Naruto slammed into him, wrapping his arms around his friend’s broad shoulders tightly. The Uchiha stood frozen for a long moment before slowly returning the hug, clutching at the waist of Naruto’s shirt.

“You’re dirty,” he said through blond curls tickling his cheeks. “When was the last time you showered?”

Naruto laughed, joyful. “No time!” He pulled back slightly, not completely letting go of the other man’s shoulders, and glanced around them at the lively scene. “You didn’t tell me there was a festival. I’m not dressed right.”

“I wasn’t expecting you to get here so fast.”

“So, this is him?” The woman asked, then jerked a thumb at Sasuke. “Did you bring any money? This one ran out weeks ago and hasn’t been paying his rent.”

Naruto separated himself from the other’s hold, bowing to her. Sasuke muttered something, glaring. Naruto knew the teasing of someone who had accepted you as one of their own from his time with Iruka and Tsunade. The idea that Sasuke had found family outside the village filled him with a delight that twinged at the edges.

Her thumb was rough when she rubbed it against his cheek. “I’ll have a change of clothes for you at my inn. What do you want for breakfast?”

“Ramen.” Sasuke answered for him. Naruto whooped, punching a fist into the air. The woman shook her head as she walked away, muttering about maids and old age.

Music played behind them and Naruto grabbed the other’s hands.

“Absolutely not.” Sasuke rolled his eyes, but a small smile played with the edges of his lips, and he didn’t let go as Naruto bounced ridiculously to the rhythm. He swayed closer to him, asking: “How much time off did Kakashi give you?”

“As much as I want.”

A dark eyebrow rose at this. “Really? Last I heard he was working you to the bone.”

Naruto stopped dancing, chest heavy. He rubbed the back of his neck. “Ah, right. I, uhm. I quit.”

“You were going to be Hokage, and you quit.” An abashed nod. “Why?”

“I..” Again, the words refused to come out, choking him. He hadn’t been able to explain, not fully, to anyone. Sasuke reached out a hand, knuckled brushing against Naruto’s forearm. Something inside him loosened. “I hated working at a desk. Filing paperwork and writing laws instead of doing things with my own hands.”

Sasuke was silent, dark eyes holding his expectantly. The words kept bubbling out. “I thought I couldn’t stand sitting around, that I needed to be out there in the middle of the action. But it wasn’t just that. I was itching for a fight. I have no idea what to do with myself if there’s not a mission, if there’s no one to beat.” Naruto laughed bitterly. “I thought you were wrong, for not being able to settle once it was over. But sometimes, I even miss the war. How awful is that?”

“It’s all we’ve ever known,” Sasuke shrugged. “There’s no use living in shame over it.”

His stomach twisted, sick. “And you? Do you miss it?”

Sasuke gazed at the crowd vibrant and laughing around them. “Yes,” he answered, low. “But less and less.”

Hours later, after eating their fill and competing at street games like children, they made their way back to the inn. Naruto collapsed onto Sasuke’s bed, flushed and damp from his shower. The other man had changed into a loose black shirt and pants, a towel slung over his shoulders.

“Amaya set up a room for you, you know.”

“Too tired,” Naruto mumbled, face pressed into a pillow. “Let me sleep here.”

Sasuke sighed from where he hesitated at the edge of the bed, before settling softly beside him. Naruto rolled onto his side, stomach jumping at how close their faces were. His friend’s dark curls glistened from his own shower. He wondered how soft it would feel if he ran his hands through them.

The door creaked open and he nearly shot out of the bed. A white dog leapt onto the mattress, and wiggled her way between them. Sasuke chuckled, rubbing her ears.

“Miyu!” Naruto shout-whispered. The dog’s big brown eyes glistened up at him for a moment before she leaned over to lick his face. He gasped up at Sasuke. “She likes me now!”

The other shrugged at him. “She’s loosened up here. Basically the whole town’s dog now.”

Naruto chuckled as he buried his hands into the soft fur, Miyu’s tail wagging languidly. She buried her muzzle into the crook between Sasuke’s jaw and shoulder, and he pressed a kiss onto her head.

Everything inside Naruto was warm and bright. There was a word he knew, but he couldn’t say it. Couldn’t even think it.

“Kiba wanted to kill you for stealing one of his dogs, you know.” He said instead.

“Didn’t steal her.” Sasuke rolled his eyes, and Naruto laughed.

“Knew what you wanted, didn’t you girl?” He rubbed her fluffy sides playfully, and she gave him a last lick on the cheek before crawling off the bed and curling into a ball on the floor. “Isn’t the floor too hard for her?”

“She’ll come back if she wants, but she gets hot up here in the summer.”

Naruto nodded, already coming up with plans for a little dog bed that might keep her cooler than the mattress with all its covers. When he looked back up, Sasuke’s dark eyes were already on him. His heart raced, pleasure and nerves spiking through him.

“What if…” He murmured, soft into the quiet night, as he settled back on his pillow. “What if I wanted to stay too?”

A hand found his in the dark, warm and calloused.

“Then stay.”

It was too big, too much, this wanting. He had to gulp for air, and something wet slid down his cheek. Sasuke let go of his hand, and caught the tear with his thumb.

“I have something for you.” Naruto bit his lip as Sasuke pulled away, sitting up and rummaging through the drawers of the nightstand. When he returned, a silver necklace hung from his fingers.

Naruto held it softly in his hands. The jewel at the end of the chain glittered even in the low light. He slipped it onto his neck, but couldn’t stop rubbing at the smooth surface.

“I don’t know what to say.”

Sasuke huffed as he lay on his back. The moonlight streaming through the window caressed his cheekbones, tanned skin glowing. He was devastating.

“You don’t have to say anything.”

“I’m never taking it off.”

Sasuke watched him from the corner of his eyes, silent. Then rolled over to face him once again. Black curls draped across his nose and he pushed them back with his hand. He reached out and caught Naruto’s chin lightly.

“Did you mean it?” Naruto made a questioning noise. “That you don’t want to leave?”

“When have I ever lied to you?”

Sasuke hummed, thumb stroking softly against his jaw. It brushed against his lower lip. All movement and time stopped. Sasuke’s eyes never left his own.

“What I want,” he whispered, lips sliding against Sasuke’s skin. “Is to stay with you.”

He felt cold when Sasuke’s hand left him, only to feel it cupping the nape of his neck, tugging him forward. He stopped, nose centimeters away from Naruto’s own. His breath fanned cool against Naruto’s mouth.

When he kissed Sasuke, soft and gentle, it tasted of mint. Sasuke responded immediately, taking his top lip between his own. He thought kissing another man would be all hard edges and rough stubble. And it was, but it’s also plump lips and tender hands. His tongue licked the seam of his lips, and he pulled away, gasping for air.

A long time ago, Naruto had promised to be the one Sasuke could come home to. Something had broken in him when the man refused to stay. So many lonesome nights craving understanding, spent dreaming of him. What an idiot he’d been, not realizing where his own home was.

They pulled back into each other, hands fisted into curls, brushing under each other’s shirts. He rubbed his fingers against the hard incline of Sasuke’s hipbone, pressing closed mouth kisses over and over onto the other’s cheeks, his eyelids, his smiling lips. Sasuke rolled them, hovering over him, mouth hot and wet against his neck.

Both of them had been strangers to affection, lonely children starved for it. Both knew love, and lost it. It wouldn’t be easy, Naruto’s heart belonging in two places. He couldn’t forget Konoha’s mountains, Iruka’s warm smile or Sakura’s fierce friendship. But, he promised against Sasuke’s soft skin, he wouldn't leave this again.

**Author's Note:**

> the scene with violence starts with the line: "Sasuke was seven years old, his mother and father next to him." and ends with the line "Her muzzle pushed lightly at his jaw, a feathery ear flicking against his forehead."
> 
> you can find me on twitter @greensasuke
> 
> kudos/bookmarks/comments appreciated!


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